The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (The Enlighten Series Book 1)

by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  With that, Sidelle grinned and poofed out of the room.

  My eyes widened. “Okay!” I stared at where she’d been a second earlier. “See you later, Sidelle!”

  “Hang on a sec, Z.” Kieran motion for me to follow.

  “Yeah?”

  “Let’s see if we can dig up some books on demons.” Kieran walked to a corner shelf in the library, waived his hand over the spines, and the titles changed. “Ah, here you go.” He tilted his head as he handed me some books.

  “This isn’t what I was thinking for Demon 101.” I hefted the thickest worn book to examine the title: History of Demonic Eternals.

  “You have the one about The Great Battle?” Shay asked from the doorway.

  “Not here, but I’ll get it,” Kieran said.

  “Thanks.” I balanced the books in my arms, but Shay insisted he carry them.

  As we walked home, Shay brought up the other night. “I was thinking that since our first date didn’t go very well, we could maybe try again tomorrow night.”

  I grinned. “I didn’t complain about our first date, did I? You brought me my favorite flower, we attended a party where certain rude people accused me of untrue events, we had some awesome party crashers who tried to kill me . . .” I shrugged. “Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?”

  He chuckled. “When you put it that way . . . but seriously, I was thinking we should have a proper one. Try to make it a little more like a date than a battle.”

  “Oh?”

  “With dinner and a lot more kissing.”

  I blushed like crazy, which only made him smile. “How can I resist that invitation?”

  Sidelle appeared in my bathroom at exactly ten. Right when I was in there, getting ready for bed.

  “Holy crap, Sidelle! You scared me half to death!” I shouted. “You do that again and I’ll put a bell around your neck.”

  Her chuckle sounded smug. “Good luck with that, Zoe. And keep your voice down. No one can see me, but you. They can only hear you. They’ll just think you’re talking to yourself, crazy girl.” She blinked at herself in the mirror, dabbed a fingertip on her lipstick, then smiled at me. “So now. On to the important matter at hand: the first watch. Tell me all about it.”

  I shut off the bathroom light and climbed into bed. She followed. “Why do you want to know so badly?”

  “I told you. I live vicariously through you. I can’t have relations with Ordinaries, if you know what I mean. It’s forbidden for my kind. Besides, I’m here to do a job and fulfill my oath. I can’t be distracted.” She bumped my shoulder. “So my only alternative is for you to tell me. Thank heavens I went to a lot of slumber parties while I was ‘growing up,’ because that’s all Ordinary girls seem to talk about: boys, dating, finding love.”

  I felt bad for Sidelle in that moment. She’d been here forever, but she’d had to do it alone. At least she had friends to keep her company. I wondered if she had a boyfriend back where she came from. If so, had he been left behind when she’d taken this assignment? She just seemed so informed . . . she had gone on dates, hadn’t she?

  “Shay and I are soul mates!” I blurted. “And he slept over.” Her eyes widened and I assured her that all we’d done was sleep. “Shay asked me on a real date for tomorrow night. He said something about dinner and … something else, but he wasn’t specific. What should I wear? Can you help me find an outfit he’ll like?”

  She practically flew off the bed toward me. “What? How could you not have opened with that? It should have been the first thing out of your mouth when I arrived! Girl, move over. I am going to make you look so hot, Shay is going to become a blundering idiot when he sees you.” She nudged me aside and walked into my closet.

  “So . . . tonight . . .” She flipped through my hangers, considering each article of clothing as she passed. “Tonight we’ll find something to wear, and tomorrow I’ll come over after school to do your hair and makeup.” She poked her head back out. “Did he say where he was taking you to dinner?”

  I shook my head. “I’ll text him to find out.” He was quick with his answer. “He says Ichiban in Minneapolis,” I informed her. “At five thirty.”

  “Hmm. Japanese steakhouse. Could be romantic.” She fanned her hand at her face. “I think I’m going to cry.” She thought about it some more. “We should do your nails tonight, though.”

  Sidelle narrowed all the choices down to a black dress, and she quickly created an up-do hairstyle so I could see what I’d look like. Next she rummaged through my jewelry box, selected the wing necklace my Grandma had given me and paired it with sparkly, silver earrings. She handed me her shoes of choice, then pushed me in front of the full-length mirror. I gazed at my reflection, barely recognizing myself. And I didn’t even have any makeup on yet.

  She picked up a nail polish bottle and checked the name on the bottom. “I think you should go with this. How appropriate: ‘Smokin’ Hot Rod Red.’”

  I stared at the mirror, still in awe. The girl I saw was beautiful, nothing like my normal reflection. I’d never had a model’s body like Sidelle, so I didn’t wear sexy clothes, and I rarely did anything with my hair except run a brush through it. I didn’t bother with much makeup, either. But man, I looked good right now. I couldn’t wait to see Shay’s reaction to this new Zoe.

  After we finished girl talk, I fell asleep easily, knowing I was safe with Sidelle there.

  Sidelle sat in bed beside me Tuesday morning, reading the second book in The Vampire Academy series. “Mind if I borrow this? I need to find out how it all ends with Rose and Dimitri.” She flipped through the pages. “I’m taking book three, too.”

  “No way!” I teased. “Get your own books.”

  She stood and stretched, ignoring my comment. Then, with a snap of her fingers, her clothes changed to a fresh shirt, skirt, and heels. I stood back and stared, hands on my hips. No wonder she always looked like she’d just stepped out of a magazine. Dang, I wanted that power.

  “Okay, I’m outta here. See ya at school!” She waved and then disappeared.

  I met Kieran and Shay at the end of my driveway, and Shay took my hand. “How was the shopping trip in your closet?”

  “It was fun.”

  He winked. “Did you talk about me?”

  “A little, but boys aren’t the only thing girls talk about when we get together, you know.”

  “Oh? I thought the usual topics included boys, clothes—and that relates to boys, too, because you want to know if we think it looks nice or if it makes you look hot. Then there’s makeup, and that goes back to the boys reference . . . and—”

  “And how is it you know so much about what goes on when girls get together?” I asked.

  “I just assumed.”

  Kieran kept quiet throughout our bantering. Either he didn’t want to interrupt, or he was being smart and didn’t want to touch this conversation with a ten-foot pole.

  “Do you feel like someone is watching us?” I whispered as we neared Coffee Grind. “Because I do.”

  Both the guys scanned the area, but came up empty.

  “I don’t see anything,” Shay said, frowning. He turned back. “Kieran, you stay with Zoe. I’ll go look around. You guys go ahead.”

  By the time we’d ordered and picked up our drinks, Shay appeared at the door. “I didn’t find anyone.”

  We walked to school in silence, alert to our surroundings. I met Sidelle at our lockers, and the boys headed off on their own. After we collected what we needed for our first couple of classes, Sidelle grabbed my arm.

  “Brace yourself. Here they come.”

  Surprise, surprise. The Triangle approached, their pretty faces twisted with scorn. For a moment it looked as if Morgan might keep walking, but at the last second she changed her mind and took a few steps backward. Ashel and Abby moved with her, but at least they had the grace to look uncomfortable. Her eyes passed critically over me.

  “What makes you so special?” Morgan wanted to know.r />
  Fight fire with fire. “What is your problem?”

  “You are my problem!” she exclaimed. “You’re just an average girl—maybe even below average—and you have no special qualities. Your parents aren’t rich, and you don’t even wear the right clothes.”

  I’d been bullied by this girl for long enough. Somehow, now that I had demons to worry about, she didn’t seem quite so intimidating. “So what? Not everyone needs to have those things. I don’t need materialistic stuff to get people to like me.”

  “How is it you manage to snag the hottest guys in school?” She stuck out her hip and narrowed her eyes. “I bet you just give them what they want. Why else would they be with you?”

  “Keep moving.” Sidelle waved her arm. “Go be mean someplace else.”

  “Oh, you stay out of this,” she snapped at Sidelle. “You’re only her friend because you pity her.”

  “Not true,” Sidelle fired back. “She’s a better person than you’ll ever be. You might want to keep that in mind. Just because you’re insecure about yourself doesn’t mean you can be cruel to others.” She mirrored Morgan’s stance. “You know why the guys don’t want to hang out or date you? We all know . . . it’s because you’re such a nasty bitch.”

  Morgan stood still, entirely speechless for the first time in her life.

  I stepped between them. “I think you should go.”

  My voice snapped her out of her stupor. “Fine,” she seethed, “but this isn’t over, Zoe. You better watch your back. And you, too, Sidelle.” She stalked down the hall with Ashel and Abby running after her.

  Classes passed quickly, and I had spent the whole time expecting The Triangle to corner me, again. I had a feeling Morgan would eventually make good on her words. This was not over between us.

  After school, Shay walked me home. When we reached my front door, he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “See you at five thirty, Zoe.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Sidelle worked her magic on me. My descent on the staircase, even in silver stiletto heels, warranted smiles from my parents. I wore a black, sleeveless chiffon dress, and the bottom of the skirt stopped well above my knees. I felt a little self-conscious, but she promised Shay wouldn’t mind.

  Sidelle followed me down the stairs and grinned at my parents. “Well? What do you think of your daughter? Beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Wow, Zoe. You look amazing,” Mom said, glowing with pride. “Sidelle, you did a fantastic job.”

  “Your hair is so trendy!” Stella exclaimed.

  “Oh, honey, you’re gorgeous,” Dad said. “If Shay doesn’t think so, you don’t need him.”

  “Thanks,” I said, unaccountably shy. “I think I’m going to go wait for him on the front porch.”

  “I’m not leaving yet,” Sidelle declared, still smiling. “I want to see Shay’s face when he sees you. I promise I won’t say a word, and I swear I’ll leave right after.”

  The bell rang, and when I opened the door Shay stood there . . . looking sexy as ever. He wore black dress slacks, a dress shirt with a silver tie, and a sports coat. He apparently approved of me as well, because I could feel the heat from his eyes as they raked my body from top to bottom.

  “You . . . I don’t even think I know the right words to describe how you look right now,” he finally said. “Every day you look amazing to me, but right at this moment, I am speechless. So I’ll just say that you are absolutely beautiful.”

  Hand in hand, we walked toward the Bel Air, which he’d parked on the street. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He opened the door and helped me in, and my eyes followed his body as he walked around the front of the car. He started the engine, and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction flowed from the speakers. We didn’t speak, and when it ended, he smiled. I knew he’d played the song for me.

  “So what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked.

  “Dinner and some stuff.”

  The way he wiggled his eyebrows made me nervous. “What kind of stuff?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He smirked, but his expression fell when he saw mine. “Oh, um, not that.”

  My shoulders relaxed. Good to know.

  “I have a question,” he said.

  “Good!” I replied. “Finally someone else has a question besides me. How about you ask one, then I get one?”

  He chuckled. “Sounds about right. What was your happiest memory growing up?”

  I didn’t even hesitate. “I know it’s going to sound cheesy, but it’s you.”

  He gave me a sideways look. “Come on.”

  “It’s true. You have been my happiest memory. Sure, I can think of birthday parties, school events, vacations, and lots of times with Kieran, but meeting you and having you in my life, has made me the happiest I remember being.”

  “You know I watched you grow up, right? I’ve seen you during some of those happy times.”

  “I know—and I won’t say that’s not weird. My turn now.”

  He huffed a little, still not believing me, but I couldn’t give him any other answer. It was the truth. “Go ahead.”

  “Is it difficult to live your life like it’s a lie?”

  He jerked his head toward me. “Wow. You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

  Maybe that had been a little blunt. I stared out the window, watching the houses pass. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer. I was just wondering because if I’m an angel I’ll have to learn how to do it, too.”

  He sighed and reached for my hand, so I looked back at him. His expression was hard to read. Like he was sad, but putting up with it. “It’s easier if you can mix the truth with the lies. Remember in English class I told everyone I was from California? It’s true. What I left out was the when. They don’t need to know that it was seventy-six years ago. You’ll get the hang of it.”

  I hesitated. “I bet it’s hard to watch the people you love die.”

  “Ah, well, I’ve been relatively lucky on that. Dad and Kieran are angels, and Mom was blessed with living a long life.” He shrugged. “Sure, I had friends growing up, but I purposely didn’t make close relationships for that reason. After we graduated from high school we departed ways.” His smile dimmed. “Then WWII happened, and I lost touch with many of them. My life is constantly changing with the people around me. You and Kieran have been one of the few constants in my life.” He glanced in my direction, then back to the road.

  We arrived at the restaurant with five minutes to spare on Shay’s reservation, and we were seated right away. The large room was dark, lit only by wall sconces and small table candles, and soft Oriental flute music played in the background. We opted not to sit at the teppanyaki grill, so the host led us to a cozy corner booth. As soon as he was gone, Shay reached across the table to take both my hands.

  “Let’s talk about how you feel about all this.”

  “The angel-demon thing?”

  “Yes. All of it.”

  “You know what? I am actually okay with what you, Kieran, Sidelle are. It kind of amazes me that I’m so fine with it all, but I am. The other bits—like the prophecy, demons, and the war—well, to be honest, that’s a lot to take in. I feel like I’ve been left in the dark, but I’m expected to just fall in line. I feel frustrated at times because I don’t know all the details, then I remember you guys only told me about this six days ago.” I sighed. “I am scared to die, though. I won’t lie about that.”

  He shook his head. “Zoe, I promise I won’t let you die. You are too important to me and to the rest of the world.”

  I guessed I’d just have to accept his word for that. “Have you heard anything else about, you know, Sam?”

  “No. We should get together tomorrow after dinner to touch base with the others.”

  I nodded. “Back to you. You mentioned St. Paul, but you haven’t told me about life growing up. Where did you live before you lived at Kieran’s place?”

  “Mom moved us to Minnesota after I was born. We chang
ed neighborhoods so I could attend various ones for elementary, middle, and high school, but we lived in the same house by the river even after I graduated college.”

  “You attended college?”

  He grinned. “You’re surprised? Actually, it was rare back then, since it was so expensive, and most boys joined the armed forces. Mom and I have done well for ourselves and saved a lot of money.” He puffed out his chest. “I actually graduated from the University of Minnesota in business. In the early nineties she bought a house in Buffalo on Mary Lake. That’s where she lives now, and it’s where I lived until I moved into Kieran’s house.”

  “I hadn’t been born yet, so you couldn’t have known about me. Why did she pick Buffalo?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. We’ll have to ask her sometime.”

  “Isn’t it weird that you lived with your mom after all these years?”

  “After college, I lived in a loft in Minneapolis for a while. So when she found the lake property, I stayed at the St. Paul house.” He chuckled. “But as fate had it, I ended up moving to the city next to where you were born. When you were little, I drove to St. Joseph every day and observed you for short periods of time. As you got older, I spent more and more time there, and by the time you got to high school, I knew something was different about you. That’s when I started watching you most of the day and some nights.”

  “So I have my own personal stalker?”

  The waiter stopped by with our food, and we spent the next few minutes thoroughly enjoying the meal. Dinner passed in a blur. We talked about our pasts, about our favorite music, sports, cars, our plans for the future—he even asked me what I thought about marriage. When we were done, the waiter arrived to clear the plates. We declined dessert, and Shay asked for the check.

  He turned to me, grinning. “You ready to go? We have to be someplace by seven-thirty, and it’ll take us half an hour.”

  “I’m ready when you are.” I grabbed my purse from the back of the chair. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “You’re very welcome, Zoe. It was my pleasure.”